How will Scottish Enterprise cuts impact on Dundee and Tayside, MSP asks

05 November 2009

Marlyn Glen is writing to Scottish Enterprise asking them how cuts in their budget will impact upon business activity in Dundee and Tayside.

Ms. Glen said that provisional figures indicated that Scottish Enterprise would have to make decisions on reductions in budgets covering the broad strategic strands of enterprise, innovation, commercialisation and investment.

While the agency has yet to finalise its decision, the enterprise budget could be cut by around £7 million, innovation by £6 million, commercialisation by £7 million and investment by similar amounts .

Ms. Glen said :

“I am asking Scottish Enterprise how these reductions in spending made by the Scottish Government will affect business in Dundee and Tayside in terms of start ups and growth.

” The Scottish Government should not have cut Scottish Enterprise’s funding by £77 million, particularly at a time when the priority should be to support business to help the local economy grow.

” Scottish Enterprise is an agency charged with a specific role to stimulate economic growth, and these imposed cutbacks can only blunt its effectiveness in that role.”